Hand lifting device.



G. KELLER.

HAND LIFTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED muhze, 1901.

Patented Jan. 19,1909.

i EN GEORGE KELLER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

HAND LIFTING DEVICE.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed March 26, 1907. Serial No. 364,649.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KELLER, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hand Lifting Devices, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in hand lifting devices adapted for lifting paintkegs, barrels, boxes and the like and by which such articles may be readily carried from place to place as may be desired.

My main object is to connect two opposed hand pawls by jointed flexible connections spaced apart and adapted to be adjusted so as to fit closely around kegs, barrels, boxes and similar articles of different forms and sizes, the jointed or flexible connections or side pieces being adapted to conform to the contour of the article to be'lifted.

Another object is to provide the device with opposed adjustable lifting connections adapted to engage the bottom of the article to be lifted simultaneously with the gripping of the jaws of the hand levers upon said article so that the load is partially borne by the gripping jaws and partially by the auxiliary pendent lifting connections, the latter device serving to not only permit heavy kegs of paint, barrels and similar articles to be lifted and carried from place to place but also serving to steady such articles against undue tilting while being carried.

Other objects relating to the specific structure of various parts of the device will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings,Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a top plan and side elevation of a barrel and my improved lifting device operatively attached thereto. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged outer face views of one end of the opposed bearing plates to which the ends of the chain are attached. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views taken respectively on lines 5-5, Fig. 1, 66, Fig. 3 and 77, Fig. l. Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively enlarged top plan and side elevation of the gripping end of one of the lever jaws.

This device is particularly adapted for handling kegs of paint but it is equally useful as a lifter and carrier for other articles, such as barrels, boxes and the like, the purpose being to provide simple means whereby one or two men may more easily lift and carry such loads from place to place.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the device as operatively attached to a barrel A and as consisting of opposed bearing plates 1 and 1- carrying suitable gripping pawls 2 and connected by a pair of jointed flexible elements as chains 3. In this particular instance each clamping plate 1 consists of a cast metal bar curved longitudinally to conform to the curvature of the barrel or keg and is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting ears or lugs l spaced apart for receiving between them the intermediate portion of the gripping pawls 2. These gripping pawls are also preferabl made of cast metal in the form of levers o the first kind, each being pivoted at 5 to and between the ears of one of the bearing plates -1- and is provided with a gripping edge -6- at the inner side of its pivot and with a handle 7 at the outer side of said pivot.

The bearing plates or bars -land 1 are substantially identical in structure, each being provided with opposed arms and extending equi-distant at opposite sides of its ears or lugs i The clamping bar -1- is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting lugs 8 disposed at opposite sides of its corresponding lever 2 and slightly smaller in its outer dimensions than the opening in each of the links of the chain -3 and constituting attaching elements for receiving the links on the adjacent ends of said chains, said links being passed over the outer ends of the lugs 8 and are held in place by keys 9 which are passed through apertures 1() in said lugs, the ends of the key being bent over upon the opposite sides of the links as best seen in Fig. 7 to permanently lock the adjacent ends of the chain to the lugs. The opposite clamping plate or bar -1- is provided with a pair of similar lugs -ll disposed equi-distant at opposite sides of the corresponding lever 2- and are also adapted to receive the links of the adjacent ends of the chain 3, although in this latter instance the links of the chains are detachably instead of permanently attached to said lugs so that the chains may be adjusted within a limited range to fit different sizes of articles to be lifted.

In order that the attaching links on the adjacent ends of the chains may be held in place against accidental displacement if rcvide each lug 11 with a pair .0 U-' shaped spring detents -12 secured thereto by suitable fastening means as a screw 13-, the free ends of the detents 12 being free to yield under the pressure of the link when attaching the latter to the lug ll so that the links are detachably ield in place by frictionalengagement with the springs. By this arrangement I am enabled to take up and f let out the chains according to the size of the article which is to be lifted by simply detaching one set of links from the lugs 11 and reattaching another set of links to the samelngs.

wVhen the chains are drawn up tightly around the article to be lifted at the proper place and their links attached to the lugs 11in the manner previously described the bearing plates '1 and 1 are brought into close engagement with the opposite sides of said article as best seen in Fig. l. Under such conditions the gripping edges of the pawls ,oi levers 2 engage the article some distance above the plane of the chains 3' and bearing plates +1 and l f, or in other words ili a plane above thefp'ivot while the handle portions of said levers extend downwardly and outwardly from their pivots so that a's the ban dles 7 a're elevated in the act/0f lifting, the levers are rocked upon their pivots forcing the gripping pawls into biting engagement with, the opposite sides of the article ,to be lifted and at the same time the opposite sides of the chains 3+ are firmly drawn into gripping qngage'm'eiit with the opposite sides of, the articleat right angles to the plane of engagement of the ppi g ja h y g inn ng S t qle on four sides, the chains serving to prevent excessive spreading of the clamping bars and -1 and I keeping the gripping ends of the aws' in engagement with the a r"- ticle'at points in a plane above their pivots.

It will be seen I from the foregoing lescription that by making the gripping jaws rigid with their respective levers and bringing them into direct engagement with the article, the heavier the article may be, the

more firmly will the jaws grip against its opposite sides when the handles are elevated in the act of lifting. V V

v In some instances as in lifting extra heavy barrels, kegs or boxes it may be desirable to provide auxiliary lifting means to steady said article in carrying the same from place i to placeand for this purpose I provide each clamping plate with a pendent flexible lift} ingment as a hai ,.l j+f, fiai fi l l fi hav gt l at ir upp r nds 5 detachably and adjustably connected or at;

. tached to suitabl'el o'oks 515 on the under side or the clampin plates 1" ana 1' the-lower ends of said chains being provided with-hooks -16- for engaging the lower edges" .of the article, as the barrel A, to be lifted. In the use of these auxiliary lifting chains -14t their lower ends are engaged with the lower edges of the article as A and their upper ends are adjustably attached to the hooks -l5 in such manner as to bring the chains 8, bearing plates 1 and 14 at the proper distancebelow thetop of the article sutflici'ent to bring the gripping ends 6 of the levers into engagement with its opposite sideswhereupon a person or persons may engage and elevate the handles thereby rocking the outer ends of the levers upwardly and forcing their gripping ends into biting engagement with opposite sides of the article in which position said article may be easily lifted and carried from place to place or it may be supported by the handles upon any suitable supporting conveyer.

The gripping end of each of the levers is provided with a central pointed spur 1-8 and opposite horizontalknife edg s +19%; t e 1 *;P l somedistanee beyond the knife edge -19' that in lifting barrels and similar wood articles the spur willmore readily enter the grainof the wood while the knife edges 19; will bite intojsaid wood, or staves crosswiseof the grain thus preventing slipping ofthe spurs.

What-I claim is:

1, A barrel liftingdevice comprising opposed clamping plates having inner concave {faces and outwardly projecting lugs near their ends, leversfulcrumed on said plates between said plugs, and chains attached at one end to the lugs of one plate andhaving their opposite ends removably and adjiiistably attached to the lugs 0f the other pate.

a 2. A barrel lifting device comprising opposedclampingplates having inner concave faces "a ifd outwardly projecting lugs near their ends, levers fulcrumed on s-aid plates between said lugs, and chains attached at one end tothe lugs of one plate and having their opposite ends removably and adjustably attached to the lugs of the other plate, and U-shape springs secured to the last named lugs for retaining the adjacent ends v of the chains thereon.

3. A barrel lifting device comprising op- V posed clamping plates, levers 'fulcrumed 'on said plates, chains attached to one of the plates, lugs on the other plate over which som t e'l nks ne ch in r mQ-Y ly fitted, and means for retaining the links on l g j 4'. 'In a barrel lifting device, separate icla inping p'lates, hand levers centrally ful crumed on said plates, and provided with biting ends for engaging the barrel, each plate having a pair of lugs located at opposite sides of its lever, links fitted upon the lugs of one plate, additional links removably fitted upon the lugs of the other plate and connected to the first named links, and yielding means for frictionally retaining said removable links on their lugs.

5. In a lifting device of the character described, a pair of clamping plates, each provided with a pair of lugs, and chains attached at one end to the lugs on one plate and adjustably attached to the lugs of the other plate in combination with levers mounted on said plates, each lever having a hand piece at the outer side of its fulcrum, and a biting edge at the inner side of its fulcrum.

6 In a lifting device of the character described, a pair of clamping plates, opposite chains attached at one end to one of the plates, attaching elements on the other plate to which the adjacent ends of the chains are adjustably connected, yielding means for holding the chains in operative connection with said attaching elements, and gripping levers mounted on said plates.

7. In a barrel lifting device, separate clamping plates, hand levers centrally fulcrumed on said plates and provided With 30 biting ends for engaging the barrel, each plate havin a pair of lugs located at opposite sides 0 its lever, links fitted upon the lugs of one plate, additional links removably fitted upon the lugs of the other plate and connected to the first named links,

hooks depending from the plates, and separate chains adjustably connected to their respective hooks and provided at their lower ends with means for engaging the bottom of the barrel.

8. In a barrel lifting device, separate clamping plates, hand levers centrally fulcrumed on said plates'and provided with biting ends for engaging the barrel, each plate having a pair of lugs located at opposite sides of its lever, links fitted upon the lugs of the other plate and connected to the first named links, hooks depending from the plates, and separate chains adjustably connected to their respective hooks and provided at their lower ends with means for engaging the bottom of the barrel, and yielding means for frictionally retaining said removable links on the lugs.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of March 1907.

GEORGE KELLER. lVitnesses:

H. E. CHASE, MILDRED M. NOTT. 

